The present invention relates to a terminal and system for the automatic computerized transfer, e.g., loading and unloading, of containerized cargo between a container ship and trucks, railroad cars, other ships and/or storage.
The related art of interest describe various means for unloading ship cargo on land or offshore. However, presently, the art neither teaches nor suggests the present invention of utilizing an automated transfer system which does not require gantries for loading and removing cargo from ships.
The related art will be discussed in the order of perceived relevance to the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,219 issued on Nov. 27, 1990, to Laurence R. Brickner et al. (xe2x80x9cthe ""219 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a computerized grid rail (GRAIL) container transport and storage system. An integrated container handling system is designed to move containers from a cargo vessel to appropriate storage facilities located proximal to a vessel docking area. The handling system collects containers from a vessel and maneuvers them via a master computerized control system to storage within a dockside facility. The ""219 Patent is distinguished by its requirement for a buffer apparatus which includes a gantry type shore crane to unload the containers onto an upper raised platform and a lower raised platform in the buffer for loading containers. The present invention omits the buffer structure and does not require gantry cranes to load and unload the ship""s cargo.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,561 issued on Oct. 13, 1992, to Donald E. Lee (xe2x80x9cthe ""561 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes an automated all-weather offshore cargo transfer terminal system. Four Delong B barges (150 ft.xc3x9760 ft.xc3x9710 ft.) are arranged in parallel pairs and connected by an overhead transverse frame structure (300 ft.xc3x97100 ft.) to form an H-shaped terminal in an offshore site. Larger vessels unload on the outside of the barges with smaller ships unloading inside the terminal. Several ship berthing modules under automatic control are required for maintaining the stability of the ships while moored in open water. These flat rectangular modules or fenders are either 16 ft. long and 15 ft. high or 50 ft. long for large ships. The requirements for offshore use with anchorage means and the lack of any mechanical cargo transfer system distinguish the offshore terminal system of the ""561 Patent from the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,505,585 issued on Apr. 9, 1996, to William B. Hubbard (xe2x80x9cthe ""585 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a marine/rail interface method for the discharge of import containers from a cargo vessel. A series of rail mounted gantry cranes spanning six rail tracks on a pier remove the import containers from a container ship by individual mobile lifts. Individual rubber tired gantries load or remove the containers from the trucks for temporary storage or which transfer the containers to trucks from the temporary storage for travel on land to an upgraded inland rail area. The trucks return to the crane with export containers. An electronic management system is employed to record the movement of containers by transponders. The ""585 Patent is distinguished by its use of multiple cranes, movable gantries, and its reliance on a remote inland storage area.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,511,923 issued on Apr. 30, 1996, to Paul D. Dunstan (xe2x80x9cthe ""923 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a container terminal apparatus and method for handling loaded and empty ocean-going containers. The loaded and empty containers are stored in separate remote buildings or banks. Each building has computer automated internal bridge cranes which transport the containers between the buildings and the pier. Each upland and pier bank is provided with external fast transport balconies which enable a container to be moved rapidly lengthwise along the length of the container facility. The ""923 Patent is distinguished by its emphasis on transportation and storage in separate facilities.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,618,148 issued on Apr. 8, 1997, to Oyvind T. Iversen et al. (xe2x80x9cthe ""148 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a method and apparatus for transporting larger units of container cargo from a ship. Heavy duty pallets on transfer trolleys or wagons driven by either electricity or diesel power are utilized to transport 20-25 containers weighing 600-875 tons directly from a vessel on a pair of parallel train tracks to the quay with crossing points for movement to two storage lines. The stacking and unstacking of containers on a pallet are performed by portal or overhead cranes. The ""148 Patent is distinguished by its reliance on pallets, transfer trolleys and cranes not utilized in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,762,456 issued on Aug. 9, 1988, to Arthur J. Nelson (xe2x80x9cthe ""456 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes accommodations to exchange containers between vessels on a floating terminal. The transfer of container cargo is performed by floating gantry cranes. The system of the ""456 Patent is distinguished, inter alia, by the lack of an intermodal transportation interface.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,807,582 issued on Apr. 30, 1974, to Leif P. R. Anderson (xe2x80x9cthe ""582 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a loading and unloading device for ship containers. The main thrust of the ""582 Patent is to move containers from a ship and within a terminal without the use of hoist winches, cables and associated machinery. Containers are lifted up from inside the ship with hydraulic rams. An overhead mounted carriage accepts a group of four containers and moves the group onto a conveyor within the crane. The containers slide over to an elevator within the gantry. The elevator transfers the containers to a ground level roller type conveyor system that moves the container to a storage facility or to a transfer point within the yard. The system of the ""582 Patent is distinguishable by its reliance on a ground level gantry crane and a conveyor system, which apparatus are omitted in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,987 issued on May 28, 1974, to Minoru Watatani (xe2x80x9cthe ""987 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a container crane apparatus with a buffer between the crane and a rear conveyance facility on the crane. The apparatus of the ""987 Patent is distinguishable because the present invention has no need for a gantry crane.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,740,957 issued on Jun. 26, 1973, to Robert J. McKenzie (xe2x80x9cthe ""957 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes an apparatus for stabilizing a barge in a body of water for the unloading of heavy loads directly onto rail tracks. A plurality of pilings and associated mechanical devices keep the barge level. The apparatus of the ""957 Patent is distinguishable by its need for a track system on the barge to land.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,139,197 issued on Jun. 30, 1964, to John J. Bylo (xe2x80x9cthe ""197 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes the loading and unloading of an entire block of cargo from a ship by side mechanisms. The system of the ""197 Patent is distinguishable by its requirement for removal of an entire block of cargo at one time.
German Patent No. 26 57 830 issued on Jun. 22, 1978, to Gerhard Mayer et al. (xe2x80x9cthe ""850 Patentxe2x80x9d) describes a freight container harbor transport system with continuously running conveyors alongside a ship and each other in a cascade pattern. The freight container loading gantries are connected to the gangways of a high-rise warehouse parallel to the quayside and accommodating them to the gangways. The continuously running conveyors are arranged in at least the length of the ship and stepped upward in a cascade pattern. The system of the ""850 Patent is distinguishable by its reliance on a continuously running conveyor system and the use of a gantry crane for loading and unloading containers.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.
Accordingly, it is a principle object of the invention to provide a container ship terminal with storage, truck and rail facilities.
It is another object of the invention to provide a container ship terminal having an overhead transverse beam and elevated ground rail system. The overhead transverse beams are used for loading and unloading of container cargo from ships, and to and from storage, with automated vehicles without changing the orientation of the containers.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a container ship terminal with automated vehicles to transfer container cargo via the elevated ground rail system to and from trucks and railcars.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a container ship terminal which is fully automated and controlled by a central computer system for the transfer of cargo to either ships, storage, truck or railcar.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a graving dock and container ship support services while berthed in the terminal.
Still another object of the invention is to provide facilities for rapidly refueling ships berthed in the terminal.
It is an object of the invention to provide improved elements and arrangements thereof in a container ship terminal for the purposes described which is dependable and fully effective in accomplishing its intended purposes.
The present invention relates to a terminal and system for the automatic computerized transfer, e.g., loading and unloading, of containerized cargo between container ships, trucks, railroad cars, and storage. The terminal and system of the present invention reduces the amount of time required for a container ship to berth, to bunker (take on fuel), load supplies and to discharge and/or take on cargo. The terminal and system of the present invention is equipped to store or transfer the unloaded cargo automatically by using independent container transfer vehicles. The cargo ships are moored in docks of a terminal building constructed in or adjacent to a waterway. Preferably, each of the docks in the terminal and system of the present invention has the capability of acting as a wet dock, a graving dock and a lock. The terminal may be constructed by utilizing encapsulated dredged material. An overhead transverse beam system permits an individual container transport vehicle to lift a piece of cargo up and away from the ship. The container transport vehicle then distributes the unloaded cargo to the pertinent transportation vehicle or to storage within the terminal.
Thus, as a first aspect of the present invention, a terminal system for unloading containers from and loading containers onto container ships is disclosed, comprising a terminal structure having a right side, a left side and a rear side, and a substantially open front side with at least one quay adapted to form at least one dock, the dock including a wall on at least two sides thereof, a plurality of parallel elevated ground conveyance rails positioned atop at least one of the walls, parallel longitudinal conveyance rails positioned above each of the walls, a plurality of parallel transverse overhead conveyance beams constructed and adapted to be positioned perpendicularly between the parallel longitudinal conveyance rails, and at least one container transport vehicle constructed and adapted to be capable of traveling along the elevated ground conveyance rails and the parallel transverse overhead conveyance beams and adapted to pick up, carry and deposit a container between a container ship berthed in one of the at least one docks and a location other than the container ship.
The terminal system may further comprise a computer control system for controlling the operations of each of the container transport vehicles. When more than one dock is included in the terminal system, interquay transfer beams may be included for conveying container transport vehicles from dock to dock.
In addition, the terminal structure may further comprise a storage and transfer area adjacent to the docks containing railroad tracks and/or a roadway, so that the terminal system can transfer containers between a first ship berthed in a one of the docks, a second ship berthed in a second of the docks, a railroad car on the railroad tracks, a truck on the roadway, and/or a storage area within the storage and transfer area by utilizing the transverse overhead conveyance beams, the elevated ground conveyance rails, and the container transport vehicles under computerized control. Furthermore, the terminal system may comprise a railroad access and a truck access to the terminal structure for connection to the railroad tracks and roadway in the storage and transfer area.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, the railroad access and/or the truck access are connected by a tunnel under water to the terminal structure using container chutes located therein. In a third embodiment, the railroad access and the truck access are connected by a causeway on supports to the terminal structure.
Furthermore, the terminal system may include an enclosed terminal structure to accommodate all-weather, year-round operation, which terminal system further comprises a roof on the terminal structure, means for removing ship stack emissions from within the terminal structure, service portals separate from the cargo handling areas of the terminal which provide access to ships berthed in the docks, bow and side fender mooring devices adaptable to the form of a ship""s hull, service harnesses which provide fast shore service connections to ships berthed in the docks, caisson doors attached to at least one of the docks which open and close, and when closed isolate the dock from the adjoining waterway to allow dewatering of the dock for drydocking a ship or to permit water to be pumped into the dock acting as a lock to raise the position of a ship within the dock, and a high flow rate fueling system for a ship berthed in one of the docks comprising storage tanks and means for high-speed pumping of fuel.
As another aspect of the present invention, remotely controlled docking modules are provided for moving ships in or out of the docks.
As an additional aspect of the present invention, a bow mooring assembly for mooring a ship by the bow in a dock of a terminal is disclosed, comprising a horizontal rail in a dock wall, mechanical stop elements mounted to the horizontal rail, an H-shaped frame having a front portion consisting of a pair of separated bumpers for accepting a bow of a ship and a rear portion, wider than the front portion, and a plurality of hydraulic damper devices interconnected between the horizontal rail and the rear portion of the H-shaped frame, and whereby the H-shaped frame is limited in movement by the mechanical stop elements and the front portion of the H-shaped frame can accommodate a plurality of bow shapes.
As a yet further aspect of the present invention, a locking side fender assembly for mooring a ship in a dock of a terminal is disclosed, comprising a slotted mooring fitting mounted to a hull of a ship, a key element adapted to fit into the slotted mooring fitting comprising an oblong element connected to a first end of a shaft and an electric rotary actuator attached to a second end of the shaft, a rectangular fender element having elastomeric pads on a front surface and an aperture for the shaft of the key element, the rectangular fender element further having a top surface connected to a first end of a rotatable extender arm and to a first end of an adjuster arm, a rectangular fender carriage mounted in a dock wall and being connected at a top surface thereof to both the rotatable extender arm at a second end thereof, and the adjuster arm at a second end thereof, an extender ram connected between the top surface of the rectangular fender carriage and the rotatable extender arm, a hydraulic power unit mounted to the rectangular fender carriage and to the extender ram to automatically adjust the fender element to an inclination of the hull surface of a ship with appropriate dampening by positioning the extender ram, and a pair of wheels mounted to the rectangular fender carriage for positioning the rectangular fender carriage within a horizontal groove in the dock wall, and whereby the fender carriage can be locked and unlocked to the slotted mooring fitting by the use of the key element.
As a final aspect of the present invention, a system for rapidly fueling a fuel storage tank of a docked ship in a terminal having quays is presented, comprising a quayside storage tank inside the transfer terminal for storing fuel, a fuel pumping unit connectable to the ship""s fuel storage tank, a fuel filtration unit located downstream from the quayside storage tank and connected to the pumping unit, a pumping control unit adapted to control the flow of fuel by the fuel pumping unit, and a vapor evacuation unit connected between the quayside storage tank and the ship""s fuel storage tank, whereby rapid and safe fueling of the ship""s fuel storage tank can be accomplished.